The Senators development camp begins today, and there will be a lot of the Senators' future on display during training, off-ice workouts as well as some team-building exercises. Seven of the 8 players selected in the draft will be attending, as well as Travis Ewanyk who was acquired from the Oilers in the Gryba deal.
You can find the schedule for the camp on the Senators website HERE .
---
The trade of Eric Gryba and the re-signing of Chris Wideman pretty much finalizes the group that will be heading into training camp with hopes of making the roster.
The blue line corps has been the subject of some disdain, so let's take a look at the group as it projects to be this season:
Top Pair -
This is a no-brainer. With Erik Karlsson a Norris-Trophy winner, and Marc Methot propelling him to that award this is a duo that can play both ends of the ice. Methot might not be the best top pairing defenseman in the league, but the way he works in conjunction with Karlsson cannot be denied.
Second Pair -
The team ended the season with the duo of Cody Ceci and Patrick Wiercioch as its second pair. Both are solid puck-movers but neither adds much of a physical dimension to the game. Personally, I tend to prefer having a puck-mover and a banger on the second pair. This is where Jared Cowen should be able to make his mark, and where he should line up. Bryan Murray stated that Cowen needs to focus on being a big body presence and be physical on the blue line and not worry about adding much offense. If he can take that to heart and follow those guidelines he can still fill that role and be the top 4 guy he is expected to be.
Third Pair -
With Gryba gone, the third pair looks to be Wiercioch and Brorowiecki. I like that combination as it puts a skill player with a banger. If Cowen can't succeed on the second pair, then it will be Ceci-Wiercioch and Cowen-Borowiecki to start the season. At the very least, if Cowen gets to form, Dave Cameron will have options on how to deploy his bottom 4.
The Rest -
Chris Phillips will be on the roster, like it or not. He can fill in in spot duty on a lower pair and give you 10-12 good minutes when required. He isn't going to retire and forfeit over $2M in salary that is going to count against the cap anyway.
Chris Wideman - A point machine over the last 2 years, has yet to play an NHL game and we really don't know what to expect from him. His size is a factor and he will have something to prove if and when he gets into the lineup. His career path sort of reminds me of T.J. Brennan, who also put up big points in the AHL but hasn't been able to catch on in the NHL, and has been through 6 different organizations in the past 8 years. And Brennan is a much bigger body than Wideman.
Whether or not Wideman starts the season as a roster player will depend on the likelihood of his getting plucked off waivers. I don't think the Sens want to carry 8 blueliners again, because that hamstrings the flexibility up front, but if Wideman is a waiver target then he might have to stay with the big club.
Frederik Claesson - I said yesterday that he seems like the forgotten guy in the Wideman talk. Claesson signed a 2 way deal, and like Jean-Gabriel Pageau last season he might be a victim of the numbers game, and the fact that he doesn't need to clear waivers to get sent to Binghamton. He had a bit of a step backwards in production last season, but I believe that was due to filling a different role, providing more of a shut-down presence, than he had the previous season.
The Prospects
Although not likely to get a realistic shot at cracking the roster this season, the group that includes Ben Harpur, Andreas Englund and Mikael Wikstrand could all spend the season in Binghamton. For Englund and Wikstrand it would be their indoctrination into the North American game. There are legitimate hopes that all three of these players will see time in Ottawa in the future.
Thomas Chabot will play in the QMJHL again, while Christian Jaros could be picked up by a CHL team in the import draft (that is happening at this moment) or return to the Swedish league for another season.